Berlin wall Quote by Christopher Ryan
““community ownership doesn’t work in large-scale societies where people operate in anonymity. In The Power of Scale, anthropologist John Bodley wrote: “The size of human societies and cultures matters because larger societies will naturally have more concentrated social power. Larger societies will be less democratic than smaller societies, and they will have an unequal distribution of risks and rewards.”9 Right, because the bigger the society is, the less functional shame becomes. When the Berlin Wall came down, jubilant capitalists announced that the essential flaw of communism had been its failure to account for human nature. Well, yes and no. Marx’s fatal error was his failure to appreciate the importance of context. Human nature functions one way in the context of intimate, interdependent societies, but set loose in anonymity, we become a different creature. Neither beast is more nor less human.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Power of Scale, 2015
Large anonymous societies concentrate power and reduce functional shame, altering human behavior compared to intimate groups.
In simple terms: Big societies change human nature and power dynamics.
Key Takeaway
Consider scale when designing institutions.
Themes
society
power
anonymity
scale
Mood
analytical
critical
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- government policy
- online communities
- corporate structures
- urban planning
Key Concepts
political science
anthropology
human behavior
Questions to Reflect On
- How does anonymity affect accountability?
- Can large societies foster genuine community?
A Different Perspective
Small groups can still suffer from power imbalances.
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